Kazakh cycling team Astana on Thursday announced its decision not to race until March 20 due to fears over coronavirus, meaning they will miss Paris-Nice and two events in Italy. Astana becomes the third team to pull the plug on Paris-Nice, which starts Sunday after Mitchelton and Ineos also said they would give it a miss. "We have chosen to protect the health of our riders and staff and to take our responsibility for the society in not further spreading the virus," Astana general manager Alexandr Vinokurov said. "Of course, we would have preferred to participate in all upcoming races, but for now, it's safety first. We still have a long season ahead with many other important races. "It was not an easy decision, but we have to protect the cycling family as well as our own families at home." jm/lp/gj